Hawkes Need to Fly
by Tangerine Catnip
Summary: Whoever's idea it was to elect Hawke as the new viscount must have had a few rocks where their brain should be. Three years into his term and the first mage ruler of Kirkwall is getting restless, unable to take being cooped up any longer he hitches a ride with Isabela to Antiva and drags his lover Fenris along for the ride. But will Kirkwall give up its leader without a fight?


**A/N**

This is my first Dragon Age fic so you'll have to excuse some of the characterization in this first chapter. Hopefully it will get better as I settle into writing for a new batch of characters. As much as I love fenny he's a confusing bastard to write for, especially when you're trying to write comedy.

* * *

Hawkes Need to Fly

Fenris didn't much care for ships. He couldn't decide if it was the subtle bobbing underneath his feet, or the hard tempered wood so unlike the dirt he was use to, or the smell of fish and salt that would get near unbearable after a few weeks out into the endless blue, but he just didn't enjoy it.

He leaned his shoulders against the mast and pulled his slender legs up, crossing them so that only his knees stuck out over the sides. He rested the blade of mercy in his lap, running a finger over the freshly sharpened edge.

It had been a very long time since he had held this weapon, even longer since he had last wore his grafted hide armor. Like the blade it had been polished and tuned up by the finest smith in Kirkwall. Hawke had promised he wouldn't let it be altered but Fenris rather suspected the metal plate that protected his chest was made of a different material the least time he had worn it.

-and while he was on the topic of Hawke..

Fenris looked up and scanned the deck, there were sailors everywhere unsurprisingly. Large burly men in ill-fitting shirts, and wearing scarves on their heads that held back hair that hadn't been cleaned in years. Isabela's motley pirate crew looked the part at least. At the moment they were hard at work loading up barrels onto the deck just like the one the elf was sitting on.

Isabela was standing with one of her ridiculously large boots planted on the railing, overseeing the work and helping her men organize the barrels based on what they contained. The largest supply was not actually mead as Fenris had suspected, but fresh water. Logical when you thought about it since salt would poison everything around them for the coming weeks… but still, the grunt of their cargo being water seemed counterintuitive.

The pirate queen hopped down from her perch and sauntered her way over to the hunched elf. Perhaps she trusted her men to be able to read the big black labels on the side of the barrels themselves now… or more likely she wanted to talk to him.

"soooooooo-" Isabela started leaning against the mast Fenris was hogging, the elf decided he would rather cut this off at the pass though. "No. I don't know why he's doing this." he answered flatly, crossing his arms defensively, grimacing when he accidently pricked himself with one of the sharp edges on his gauntlets, he was really not used to this armor anymore.

Isabela raised an eyebrow. "You don't know? You came all the way out here and are going to travel across Thedas with him and you haven't even asked why?" she smirked, cocking her hips and leaning closer. "My, you are devoted Fenris. Hawke is a very lucky man."

The elf huffed, shooting her a glare that would have made anyone who wasn't used to it shiver in their smallclothes. "Fine. I know why. But trust me when I say knowing why doesn't help matters much."

The captain looked even more fascinated now and her interested lean was starting to enter the warrior's personal space. It was very clear she wasn't leaving till one of them cracked and he wasn't in the mood for verbal sparring with a nosey Isabela.

Fenris looked back to his blade, looking into the warped reflection that stared back at him. "Even after he's dead and rotting that damn mage still finds a way to come back to haunt me." he grumbled, his words rather soft for the amount of venom in them.

Isabela's eyebrows rose in confusion for a moment, it was understandable since there were a lot of mages that were now dead that Fenris hated. Eventually she got it though.

"What, you mean Anders?" she said, her tone of joviality dropping somewhere between when Fenris had last spoken and she had realized what he was talking about. It was understandable though, even the forever unattached Isabela had felt the betrayal of their companion of six years. The crater in high town that was just now being cleared of magical radiation was a stark reminder as well.

"Yes." Fenris shifted on his shoulders, his eyes unfocused as he lost himself in thought. "I told Hawke that his trust in other mages would backfire on him. I only hoped that the day he was shocked to his senses the tragedy wouldn't-"

"-this is going somewhere right?" Isabela interjected, obviously not up for sitting through a brooding session. Fenris twitched taking a deep breath to help him resist the urge to punch something before trying again. "All you need to know is that Hawke is leaving Kirkwall, nothing can convince him not to, and not everyone will be so keen on saying goodbye. So the faster we get this tub moving the better."

Isabela whistled softly. "So its en escape attempt then? Oh, this makes things a lot more fun." She stood back up and grasped a mast rope that was hanging just over her head. She lifted herself up her toe tips taking up one side of Fenris's barrel.

Now that she was clearly visible she paused to yell instructions to her crew. They were loading up furs for trading with Antiva which needed to be stored properly. They needed to be free of rot and mold so they would fetch the proper price when sold to the Antiven craftsman who would make them into hats, fur-lined boots and other fashionable accessories.

The matter sorted, she tuned back to Fenris, any trace of the dower mood she had gained when he had mentioned the mage already evaporated. "If you ask me, It's about time he cut loose. Pretty soon another disaster is going to strike or some ancient evil is going to raise its ugly head. We need him in top shape so he can stumble his way to halfway fixing it."

Fenris's lips twitched, analogies about his boyfriend's alarming tenancy to get himself in over his head never failed to amuse him a little bit. Even when the situation hardly called for it.

"What do you mean halfway fixing it? Dead is a perfectly fine solution!" Fenris jolted upright and the two of them turned to see the mage standing on the gangplank. The elf breathed in sharply, his eyes roaming over the black bust of sheer feathers that curled around Hawke's shoulders then across to the spiked gauntlet that covered his right arm and matched the armor strapped to his boots.

Hawke must have bought another bottle of the magical paint that he used to draw symbols on his upper arm, the crimson lines on his bicep were bright and fresh. He even used a little to make that distinctive red mark across the bridge of his nose. He looked..

Fenris bit his lip as Isabela skipped passed him to great her old friend. Seeing Hawke in his champion's armor had really brought home how long it had been. He had forgotten how imposing this mage could be. Too many years of seeing him slumped on a throne listening to royal appeals had all but worn away his perception of the man who had once slain a high dragon and used its skin to make his armor.

He looked down at himself for a moment, sitting awkwardly in his uncomfortable armor. Had the same thing happened to him? Combat training with the Templars had kept him from losing his edge but it had been ages since he had lopped the heads off any slavers.

A hand on his shoulder and the elf's attention snapped back to reality. His fingers curled to punch the one who dared to touch him but his anger evaporated the moment he found himself looking up into amber eyes.

Hawke smiled down at him and Fenris felt something in his chest twinge in joy. Wait… What was he doing? This was Hawke. He had known this man for almost a decade and now he was getting twinges like a schoolgirl with a crush. It didn't help one bit that the first words out of the mages mouth were "I'm glad you're here."

He gave a noncommittal sound then thought better of it. "When have I ever refused to follow you? No matter how questionable your motives are."

"Just because you always do it doesn't mean I don't appreciate it." Hawke replied softly. "I know I'm asking a lot from you. This was your home for years after all." The mage sighed and hung his head, he felt guilty as hell for going through with this, but there didn't seem to be any other option. He couldn't live without Fenirs and he couldn't stand another day in that gilded prison of a castle keep.

"Kirkwall is not my home." The warrior replied "there is nothing for you to take me away from." Hawke shook his head drawing the tips of his gauntlet clad fingers over the pale white of the lyrium tattoos that made Fenris stand out in any crowd.

He felt the elf shiver and he chuckled softly. Maker he loved this gorgeous creature. The sudden urge to scoop Fenris up and nuzzle him washed over the mage but he resisted. He knew the elf didn't like being reminded about the differences in physique that made that possible.

"We'll see how you feel about it after you've been deprived of pheasant egg omelets for a week." the mage chuckled moving up to ruffle his lover's hair. Fenris shrugged him off and slipped from his seat on the barrel. "Very funny, but I'm not the one who insisted upon Antiven frozen cream for dessert every night."

Hawke frowned his feathered cape fluttering with his snort. "For the record it's called Gelato, and I didn't see you complaining about it when I poured it-"

The rest of that statement was muffled by the cold metal of the elf's gauntlet and an even colder glare. Hawke looked up and realized that Isabela was standing not three feet away, a few of her sailors looking on a little further back. "Please continue, this sounds good." She grinned

Hawke reached up and pulled Fenris's hand from his lips. "Maybe another time, he's shy." The elf grumbled and turned his back on the humans taking his blade with him. Hawke shrugged his shoulders and trailed Isabela up to the quarter deck. The large weal that controlled the fins under the ship was lashed tightly in place so it didn't spin wildly as the currents bobbed the boat around against the dock.

Hawke rested his hand on his tummy, prodding at the large buckle keeping his satchel in place. It was chocked full of coin he had been saving for the past two years and was considerably heavy for it. Even with the enchantment that let him keep much more than was physically possible in the bag.

"You know Fenris might be right, I think I've let myself go. This armor feels tighter than I remember." Hawke mused. Isabela ran an eye over the mage and shook her head. "Nonsense, you look just the same as always."

Then She tilted her head, seeming to reconsider. "Or, you will be once I've got you pulling your weight on this ship. Once you've hoisted the mainsail a few times I'm sure those lovely muscles will come right back."

She flashed him a grin and the mage groaned, leaning back against the ships railing. "You're really going to make us work for this journey aren't you?"

The captain pulled a knife from its holder over her shoulder waving the tip at the mage vaguely. "Rules of the ship, everyone lends their hands."

"I saved you from Qunari!"

"No exceptions."

Hawke gave her a pitiable look earning a laugh from the elder woman. She turned to face the wheel severing the rope with a neat snap of her dagger.

"Come on you dogs, Hull up anchor! We need to set sail before the sun's finished cresting the horizon!" Isabela's voice carried extremely well over the decks of the ship, even Hawke stood to attention at the cry.

Below them the chatting sailors all dropped what they were doing to obey her orders. The cargo was settled in the hull by now and the large wooden hatch doors that allowed it to be loaded from the upper decks were shut with an echoing bang.

Teams of sailors worked together to hoist up the sails and the clank of the metal chain being dragged up from the depths drowned out every other sound.

Hawke turned and noticed that Fenris had appeared by his side. He grinned and offered a hand to his lover. The elf declined with a shake of his head but stayed close as the ship seemed to come alive around them.

There was a sense of anticipation in the air, it was almost electric. Hawke was sure if he concentrated hard enough he could summon lightning bolt even without touching his staff.

It was the kind of excitement he had sorely missed. Setting off too who knows where with nothing riding on what decisions he made that day. He puffed up his chest and breathed in deep, feeling years of stress melt off. If he had known bucking his responsibilities would feel this good he would have done it ages ago.

Fenris was staring at the shore. No doubt he was questioning his sanity now that the ship was pulling away from the docks. Hawke wanted to say something but he wasn't sure it would help much or do this particular moment justice.

His warrior was more in tune with non-verbal communication so he tried to catch Fenris's eye instead. The pale green orbs locked on him and Hawke tried to summon up all his feelings in a lopsided smirk. Fenris shifted on his feet and turned his head away, but the mage still caught the traces of the reassurance he had given. Any comfort that made it passed the wall of spikes that Fenris wrapped himself in was a victory in its own right.

The elf took a half step closer and Hawke took that as an invitation to rest his unarmored arm on the elf's shoulders. Behind them Isabela shouted more orders and the ropes attaching the ship to the dock were pulled up.

The mage was just contemplating weather or not he should test his luck and rest his hand on Fenris's hip when a flash of red caught his attention and froze him in place faster than a well-executed cone of cold spell. Fenris clued in on the panic three seconds after it had gripped Hawke, his fingers itched for his blade but he couldn't detect the threat on hand.

A second later and the ex-champion was down on the deck and for a horrible moment Fenris thought he had been shot. But on closer inspection he was just kneeling behind the banister, keeping his head out of sight.

"Hawke?" Fenris asked trying to temper his worry with the knowledge that his lover was probably just acting up again.

The larger male looked up from his hiding place "Aveline is early for her patrol." He hiss-whispered despite the fact that she was way too far away to hear anything they said.

Fenris looked up to the guard captain who was leaning on the wall overlooking the port, her eyes trained on their boat.

"Your weapons are still visible you know" Fenris added dryly, poking the red gem housed at the top of Hawke's Key staff.

Isabela was still griping the wheel, holding it tightly as the ship slowly pulled out of port. "You didn't tell her?" she asked, barely holding back her giggles.

"Of course I didn't!" Hawke shot back "She would tie me to the throne if she knew I was going to abandon her city!"

Fenris and Isabela shared a look and an eye roll. "Looks like it's time for a daring escape then." the captain decided. "Don't worry I'm an expert at it by now."

* * *

Ten achingly long minutes of hurried preparation later the ship was finally had its stern to Kirkwall. The bad news is there was now a small complement of the cities guards standing on the docks with their hands on their swords.

"What do you think you're doing Hawke!" Aveline called from the end of the dock, her stern motherly voice making the mage's knees shake. He pulled himself up from the deck and gave her a wave.

"I'm sorry Aveline" he answered back, "it's hard to explain but I really have to leave now." he turned and gave Isabela a beseeching look. "Can we go any faster?"

The pirate queen shook her head gritting her teeth like she was the only thing pushing them forward. Hawke decided to take that as a no and turned back to Aveline so he could stall. she didn't not look impressed by his arguments. "You are not leaving! Don't make me come-

"They're kidnapping the viscount!"

No one was sure exactly where the cry had come from but in an instant the port exploded into chaos. Every eye was now on Isabela's ship and even without Aveline's orders some of the city guards were commandeering smaller boats hoping to catch the pirate ship before it got its stride.

"Come on! As if I could be kidnaped." The mage huffed. "Especially not by this lot. No offence Isabela." the captain didn't seem to hear him though she was too busy trying to get them out of there.

Fenris's eyebrows furrowed. He knew very little about ships himself, slaves were meant to sit in the hold and be as silent as possible. But there had to be a way to get them moving, surely they had to have one trick going for them.

Then he noticed Hawke. Saw that look in his eye that usually meant he was about to do something rash. "Hawke. Whatever your thinking I want you to take a moment to make sure you're not going to accidently kill us all."

"It's fine Fenris, I've conjured lightning storms before. I just need this one to have more wind and less lightning. Piece of cake. " The mage unhooked his staff from his back and took off towards the center of the ship, leaving the warrior to watch in horror as he planted his feet against the deck of the ship and started waving his staff over his head.

The spell he was using was meant for battle and as a result took effect before Fenris and Isabela could finish swapping worried looks.

"Everyone on deck grab something and don't let go!" the captain managed to yell over the growing storm clouds. Then quieter so only Fenris could hear she added "maker, I hope he knows what he's doing."

Flashes of electrical energy arched up the mage's elbows, his eyes were shut tightly as he forced the magic to obey his will. He needed wind, not lightning, wind. He could practically feel every particle in the air, he just needed to move them. Make. Them. Move.

A lightning bolt slit the sky's and the echoing blast of thunder, illuminating a ship half the size of Isabela's pirate cruiser that was nearly close enough to allow their occupants to start boarding. Over the gathering storm Hawke thought he heard Aveline yelling at her men.

Then a thump as a metal hook from the other ship landed on the deck of the pirate cruiser. The sound of weapons being draw and Hawke looked up to see the first of Kirkwall's guards climbing up the rope and onto the deck.

No.. no it was too soon. He had spent months planning this! He wasn't going back. No way, never again! He was done dealing with land feuds and putting on a happy face at endless parties and soulless royal meetings.

He was the champion! Slayer of the_Arishok_! He did not sit around stamping papers all day. He was sick of Kirkwall, sick of the destroyed Chantry and the constant reminder that he was the only mage in the city after he had helped the Templars murder them all. He hated this city, hated the mess it had made of itself only to dump the burden on his shoulders.

With an inhuman roar Hawke released the control on his spell, using the last drips of his mana stores to summon an explosive blast.

"Fucking hell! What did you do Hawke?!"

The fireball the mage had been summoning fizzled in his hand. His jaw dropped open as he beheld the ten foot wall of a wave that was rapidly gaining on them from the starboard side. It was almost a mile away but every second it drew closer and larger as it's mass doubled.

Opps..

Fenris glared at him from the ships wheel, it seemed he had been put in charge of it while Isabela joined the rest of them on deck. Underneath their feet the boat lurched sending the stunned guards on the deck tumbling back into their ship.

"We need to get the ship facing the same way as that wave!" Isabela screamed at him, her hair fluttering in the gust that was rapidly picking up. "If it hits us blindside it could snap the ship in half!"

Hawke looked from her to the rapidly filling sails. The crew was trying to catch as much of it as possible and put it towards turning the ship. "Oh, so now the wind part of the storm works!" He screamed at the sky just be for the cloud line broke and an oceans worth of water poured down on the deck in heavy drops, soaking the mage from the shoulders down.

Hawke shook his head like a dog, forcing the water out of his eyes so he could assess the situation. The ship was still a quarter turn from being able to take that wave and it didn't look like they were going to make it. unless..

One more try then. He couldn't screw it up anymore that he already had… right? He left his staff where it had fallen on the deck and enfolded his fingers instead. He could feel the wind pushing against his shoulders, buffeting the whole ship and making them rock back and forth like a wooden toy in a bathtub.

What was it Malcolm always told him and Bethany? If you can't control a force, you must then try to direct it. Hawke planted his feet, sticking both his hands into the fade and feeling the magic flow into his veins. He lifted his hands with a cry of exertion, forcing the power into the air and curving it around the currents of air.

Yes.. just like that..

Little by little he directed more and more into the sail and slowly she turned. The rush of water from behind them was getting louder and louder but he couldn't let up his concentration to look to see if he was going to make it. The roar grew and the boat began to tremble even as it rocked. The yelling of sailors had either ceased or been permanently drowned out by the wave. In one last effort Hawke gave it everything he had, his pained groan not even audible to his own ears behind the sound of the all-encompassing roar of sea water and death.

"Fenris let go of the wheel!"

Hawke's eyes snapped open just in time to see his warrior smashing shoulder first into a wooden support, then the shock of the wave hitting the stern threw him with just as much force as Fenris had just been treated to.

Salt water crashed down over his head like a ton of bricks and Hawke found he couldn't breathe. The air was forced from his lungs by the water pressure and something hard caught him in the back. A strike of pain forced a scream that filled his mouth with the briny liquid.

The deck below him lurched and to the blind and deaf mage it felt like they were flying cleanly through the air. The water that had nearly crushed him spiraled away, leaving him gasping and clutching whatever part of the ship he landed on.

Then just like that it was over. The movement slowed and stopped and the storm broke as soon as it had arrived, the magical tantrum must have worn itself out.

Slowly but surely Hawke pushed himself up, rubbing the salt from his eyes with his unarmored hand. He cast his gaze over the deck, there didn't seem to be any damage to the ship but…

Isabela rose from the deck, flipping her hair over her shoulder and rigging the water out of it with both hands. Muttering curse words to herself as she joined the mage in looking over her ship.

"Fenris!" Hawlk called, scanning the slowly moving bodies for anyone lean and probably steaming with anger.

The mage pulled himself way form where he had landed against the wooden steps, his staff had rolled under them after the storm had first broke but it wasn't important now. His back screamed in pain at being used so soon after almost being broken, but he ignored it.

He took the steps two at a time and found himself on the landing where Fenris had been standing right before the wave hit. Somehow he managed to keep calm, desperately trying not to think about whether or not the elf could swim. No. Just focus. He could panic after he had a reason to.

In his terror he was so quick to scan the deck he completely missed the elf lying under the rapidly rotating wheel on the first pass. Then his eyes fell to Fenris and Hawke dropped to his knees. It didn't seem like he was breathing.

Quickly the mage started to undo the hard metal plate on the elf's chest. He needed it gone if he had any hope of dislodging the sea water and get him breathing before the lack of air brought Fenris out of his ability to heal him.

Sometime around the second buckle the warrior started to shift, but in his panic Hawke didn't notice till an armored hand raised and slapped him right across the cheek.

The mage pulled back in shock, relief washing over him as he met Fenris's glare. "I.." the elf choked trying to get his wind back even while gagging on sea water he had accidently swallowed.. "-I told you your magic would be the death of me."

Hawk shook his head and pulled Fenris to his chest. "Your still not dead yet, but I won't disagree this time."

Isabela poked her head around the corner raising an eye brow at the two of them. "Hate to spoil the moment boys but as amazing that escape was, we need to be far away from here when they manage to piece together another ship and come after us."

Hawke nodded, picking Fenris up despite the groan of displeasure from the elf. "Let's find somewhere for Fenris to recover, then we can work out what direction we need to go in. The captain nodded and led the way into her cabin.

In his arms the elf shifted and managed to get his arm over Hawke's shoulders, somehow he looked even more waterlogged than his human. "Promise me you'll never do that again?"

Hawke nodded, glancing back around the ship. Some of the sailors were spiting up seawater, and there were even some fish that had landed on deck flapping wildly about on the hardwood.

The mage could already hear his father in his head, utterly furious at him for trying an unknown spell without training or even an instruction manual.

"yeah, I promise"

* * *

Aveline Disapproves -20

Isabela Approves +5

Fenris wishes he had stayed in bed that morning.

* * *

Current Character build at level 25

**Specializations and Abilities:**

**Defensive:** Force Mage/Spirit Healer **Offensive**: Primal/Elemental

**New spell:** Summon Storm

Mages have been known to control the power of the elements through their connection with the fade. Before the circles and the chantry these powers were invaluable in large scale naval battles. A well placed storm could turn the tides of war, but not always in the favor of the mage who cast it.

Electricity damage: 10x Base Damage

Elemental force: 30x

Attack area: 5 sq mi

May cause friendly fire damage.


End file.
